A30211:416
A treatise of the fear of God showing what it is, and how distinguished…A treatise of the fear of God shewing what it is, and how distinguished…
A treatise of the fear of God showing what it is, and how distinguished from that what is not so : also whence it comes, who has it, what are the effects, and what the privileges of those that have it in their hearts / by John Bunyan.A treatise of the fear of God shewing what it is, and how distinguished from that what is not so : also whence it comes, who has it, what are the effects, and what the priviledges of those that have it in their hearts / by John Bunyan.
London: printed for N. Ponder, 1679
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
The sum of all which, is, that which was mentioned before, to wit, to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. For none of these things can be conscientiously done but by and with the help of this blessed grace of fear.
Thirteenthly, There flows from this fear this godly fear, A great delight in the holy commands of God, that is, a delight to be conformable unto them. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that greatly delighteth in his commandments, Psal. 112.1. This confirmeth that which was said before, to wit, that this fear provoketh to a holy and reverent use of the means; for that cannot be, when there is not an holy, yea a great delight in the commandments Wherefore this fear maketh the sinner to abhor that which is sin, because that is contrary to the ⟨p. 132⟩object of his delight. A man cannot delight himself at the same time in things directly opposite one to another, as sin, and the holy commandment is; therefore Christ saith of the servant he cannot love God and Mammon, he cannot serve God and Mammon. If he cleaves to the one, he must hate and despise the other, there cannot at the same time be service to both, because that themselves are at enmity one with the other. So is sin, and the commandment. Therefore if a man delighteth himself in the commandment, he hateth that which is opposite which is sin: how much more when he greatly delighteth in the commandment?
Thirteenthly, There flows from this fear this godly fear, A great delight in the holy commands of God, that is, a delight to be conformable unto them. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that greatly delighteth in his commandments, Psal. 112.1. This confirmeth that which was said before, to wit, that this fear provoketh to a holy and reverent use of the means; for that cannot be, when there is not an holy, yea a great delight in the commandments Wherefore this fear maketh the sinner to abhor that which is sin, because that is contrary to the